In Panama, a state vehicle belonging to the Ombudsman's Office was detained at a checkpoint on the road to Madroño, in the Chepo district, after twelve rectangular packages of a suspected illicit substance (drugs) were found hidden inside.
During the operation, conducted by units of the National Border Service (Senafront), five men traveling in a white pickup truck with yellow stripes were detained. Among them, a public official was identified. Inside the vehicle, officers also found B/425.00 in cash and five mobile phones.
Related to this case, the Ombudsman's Office issued an official statement informing that during the night of Tuesday, November 25, an institutional vehicle from the Chepo Regional Office was stolen without authorization. The vehicle was improperly used in an incident that is under investigation by the competent authorities.
The entity emphasized that the automobile 'was not authorized to circulate outside of working hours, therefore it did not have a safe-conduct to travel at night'.
The Ombudsman's Office, along with its legal team and the regional director of Chepo, appeared before the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office to formalize the complaint for the theft of the vehicle.
